Puella Magi Hitomi Magica
by PrincessOfFrenchToast
Summary: Hitomi was just a normal girl. Fairly wealthy, sure, but not that special… until one day, when everything changes and her life turns upside down. In the strange, secretive world of the Puella Magi, Hitomi will discover that there is much more to her best friends than she ever could have imagined.


**Summary: **Hitomi was just a normal girl. Fairly wealthy, sure, but not that special… until one day, when everything changes and her life turns upside down. In the strange, secretive world of the Puella Magi, Hitomi will discover that there is much more to her best friends than she ever could have imagined.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and I am not writing this story for profit.

**Chapter 1: As You Were, You Will Never Be Again**

Sunlight streamed through the windows of the Shizuki residence on a bright, clear morning. Only one room remained dark, as the lacy curtains that framed its windows were still pulled closed to shelter a sleeping girl in the middle of a four-poster canopy bed from its garish brilliance. Her bedroom was spacious and elegantly furnished, not unlike that of a princess.

Hitomi opened her eyes and checked the time. She never woke up late, and today was no exception. Seven o'clock on the dot, time to get ready for school.

She pushed back the silky, pale green sheets and shifted to a sitting position on the edge of her king-sized bed. Her feet touched the smooth, polished wooden floor as she stood and rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up. She had gone to sleep earlier than usual the night before; why did she feel so tired? Maybe a shower would help her feel more refreshed.

She washed up quickly in her personal bathroom and changed into her school uniform, slipping the light yellow blouse over her crisp white dress shirt, tying the bright red bow at the collar, buttoning the dark grey plaid skirt that rested just above her hips, putting on the standard black calf-length socks that most of her classmates preferred. Sitting at her vanity table, she moussed her shoulder-length hair and picked up a fancy-looking brush. _One, two, three, four…_ she thought distantly as she automatically completed the task.

One hundred strokes later, as was her ritual, her mint-colored hair fell in smooth, glossy waves and smelled lightly of spring flowers thanks to the mousse. She studied her reflection in the vanity mirror and applied a little mascara and light pink lip-gloss. Satisfied that she looked more like her normal self, Hitomi picked up her school bag and shoes and padded downstairs.

As usual, the house was quiet. A note on the kitchen table, written in a neat script, informed her that they had left earlier and there was money for her to get some dinner later. Her parents were very busy and important people, so she rarely saw them at home. Being an only child, this meant that she would often have more time alone than she would have liked, if not for her lessons and schoolwork which took up most of her time.

She didn't particularly feel like eating anything, so she poured a tall glass of cold orange juice and sat at the kitchen table to gaze out the window, sipping from the glass every now and then. It was a bright, sunny day, which only seemed to further mock her depressed mood.

A few minutes later, she finished her juice and checked a silver watch that was fastened around her wrist. It was time to leave. She rinsed her glass in the sink, took her bento from the fridge that she had prepared the night before and slipped it into her bag, stepped into her shoes, and opened the front door. Locking it behind her, she replaced the key safely in her bag and began the walk to school.

Things have changed. She could remember the days, not too long ago, when she, Sayaka, and Madoka were inseparable. They would meet every day on the walk to school, eat lunch together, and meet up every day after school to hang out, maybe go to a café or go shopping. They would take turns to decide where to shop. She smiled faintly. Sayaka always chose the music store, Madoka always wanted to look at accessories and make-up, and she always chose designer stores with super expensive clothing that they would giggle at. They would meet up to do homework together. Even with her lessons, they would always find a way to spend time together. On the weekends, they would have picnics sometimes or see a movie, and they texted each other almost constantly. When she was alone, she would daydream about her secret crush on Kyousuke. Everything was, well, perfect.

Lately, though, she had been much busier than usual. Instead of just one lesson each day, she would have two or sometimes three. She was always so tired afterwards, and would still have the day's homework waiting for her at home. Kyousuke was her boyfriend now, which would have been a dream come true, except that they were a couple in little more than name. They almost never saw each other outside of school, and at school he was always surrounded by his friends or admirers. She made time for him, but she realized that he rarely made time for her. She understood that he was busy and had even less free time than she did since his hand had healed, but she still wished that they could spend more time together. On the few occasions when they were able to arrange to spend some time together, it felt like they were friends more than anything else. Hitomi sighed. Maybe after the recital, they would have more time for their relationship.

Sayaka and Madoka had missed her in their after-school activities, but after a while they found new friends to spend their time with. The redhead had transferred about a week before the trio started to drift apart. Well, Hitomi amended, she was the only one who drifted due to her increasingly busy schedule. Her pinkette and blunette friends had remained as close as ever. In fact, it all began when the other transfer student arrived.

Hitomi wondered how four girls who were essentially polar opposites could get along so well. Recently, Sayaka had been more distant, especially when Hitomi talked about Kyousuke. It confused her, though she never showed it, until she put two and two together and figured out that Sayaka had feelings for him, and probably had for a long time. She had been worried, hoping that their friendship would not fall apart because of that. She needed to talk to Sayaka about him sometime…Madoka was probably responsible for the fact that Sayaka held out as long as she did. She had always had a kind of talent for compassion. But ever since the red-haired transfer student had appeared on the scene, Sayaka had been more cheerful and more like her normal self, and they had become close friends. Kyoko Sakura, Hitomi remembered suddenly. Her name was Kyoko.

Then Homura Akemi came along. She was quiet and reserved, and had a very intellectual air about her, which many of her classmates admired and talked about. But she quickly befriended the other three girls, and they had an odd sort of harmony together that would normally be unheard of. They were so different from each other, how did they become such good friends in just a few weeks?

She was on the school grounds now. Madoka was only a few paces ahead of her, jogging to catch up to Kyoko and Sayaka, waiting for her ahead. She smiled and gave a cheerful greeting, which they returned, and they walked together in the large crowd of students on their way to their first class.

Hitomi trailed behind, walking more slowly than most of the others around her. She let out another sigh, thinking of how much she missed her best friends.

In the classroom, Madoka bounced excitedly on her heels. "Are you guys ready, Sayaka-chan, Kyoko-chan, Homura-chan? I studied for hours last night! I'm sure I'll get a perfect score this time!"

Sayaka grinned in response. "I don't know about a perfect score, but I'll ace it, that's for sure."

Homura flipped her long hair with an arrogant lilac-glossed smirk, her eyes twinkling. "Well I always get a perfect score, so I have nothing to worry about. Don't cry too much when I ruin the curve for you."

Madoka gasped, her bubblegum pink-glossed lips parting in surprise. "What?! That's not fair… I've always wanted a perfect score…" she trailed off, pouting.

"Awww cheer up, Madoka-chan. Homura's just being mean," Sayaka ruffled her hair, much to the little pinkette's dismay. The girl was just too adorable, with those bright red ribbons in her hair.

"What?" Homura shrugged, feigning innocence. "It's not my fault that I've learned this stuff already. Besides, I'm not ruining the curve for Madoka or Kyoko. Just for you."

Sayaka didn't exactly understand what she meant by that first part, but she thought little of it, crossing her arms with a playful glare. _It's probably not important anyways. _"That doesn't even make sense," she muttered. "If I fail, you had better sleep with one eye open…"

Homura just smiled. "I _always_ sleep with one eye open." Sayaka just rolled her eyes, but she was smiling too.

They turned their attention back to Madoka, who was watching Kyoko with a worried expression. "Um… do you guys think she'll wake up soon?" Indeed, Kyoko had fallen asleep on her desk, a stick of chocolate-flavored pocky dangling from her mouth.

Sayaka rolled her eyes again and reached over to grab Kyoko's long red ponytail, giving it a sharp tug. "Gah!" Kyoko's eyes shot open and she nearly fell out of her desk, choking on the pocky. After coughing for a bit, she recovered and stuck the pocky back into her mouth, glaring at Sayaka. "What the hell?! You trying to kill me or something?" Madoka giggled, and Homura watched the scene with amusement.

"We have a test today, remember?" Sayaka replied, grinning.

"Heh." Kyoko leaned back in her chair. "It's not like I'll do much better if I'm awake anyways. And stop giving me that stupid look," she grumbled.

Sayaka had a very hard time keeping a straight face, but she managed. "Well whose fault is it that you stayed up watching late night television and playing video games? You've got no one to blame but yourself." Sayaka shook her head, as if lamenting Kyoko's fate.

"Oh come on, I studied before… a little," Kyoko protested. "I just needed to relax and unwind a little before the test."

"Well, good luck everyone!" Madoka called as she and Sayaka went to take their seats. The teacher had just walked in, and thankfully, she seemed to be in a good mood today.

Hitomi looked over her notes, trying to make sure she would not miss any details that would cost her points. She was one of the best students in the class, and always got at least a 95 on every test she took. But lately, around the time that the rest of her life began to go downhill, she had been so tired every day that it became increasingly difficult to focus. Her grades began to slip. She was still doing well by most standards, but it was unacceptable to let her grades drop. She needed to do better on this test.

With an air of finality, Hitomi closed her notebook as the voices around her began to hush at the teacher's command and students pulled pens and pencils from their school bags. She glanced around the room. Everyone else looked so content. What was wrong with her? She should be content too. But as she looked over to see Sayaka whisper something to Madoka that made her giggle and earned the blunette a stick of pocky in the face when the teacher wasn't paying attention, she couldn't quite ignore the empty feeling in her chest.

A few hours later, it was lunchtime. Madoka, Sayaka, Kyoko, and Homura left together. Hitomi wondered where they ate lunch, as she never saw them in the cafeteria. Then again, it would be difficult to find them in the large crowd. She briefly debated going to the cafeteria, but decided against it. She would rather be alone with her thoughts for the moment, and besides, she wanted some fresh air. Her decision made, she made a brief stop in the bathroom to check her reflection before heading to the courtyard to eat.

She sat under a tree that provided plenty of shade, making herself comfortable. There were a few small groups of people scattered around, but there was plenty of room to spread out and no one would bother her. Placing her bento on her lap, she unwrapped the pretty green cloth patterned with butterflies and began to eat.

Her lunch was fairly simple: tempura shrimp, coconut rice, and some fresh bite-sized vegetables. Having skipped breakfast, she was quite hungry, and she ate everything as quickly as she could while being ladylike. As she put the box back into her bag, she realized how tired she suddenly felt. Maybe a short nap would help.

She curled up against the tree, using her bag as a pillow. The grass was soft and lush; the partial sunlight was pleasantly warm on her face…

…

…

…

… _and she was floating above Earth, looking down on the familiar blue-green planet. Her home. With a start, she realized that she was far above the atmosphere. She was only wearing her school uniform, how was she unaffected by the harsh environment and lack of air up here?_

_Her confusion soon faded away, though, as she gazed around with a sense of wonder. She could see so many stars, now that her vision was not obscured by a hazy, light-polluted sky. They seemed to be so close, but in reality they were millions of miles away, admired by humans who could only gaze at their distant beauty. The furthest stars, seen through colorful veils of gas and dust as tiny points of light, appeared almost spectral._

_She soared gracefully through the stars, exploring clusters and nebulae. A flash of green light caught her attention, and she turned towards it, her eyes widening. How odd, stars were never green, why…? She was rushing to meet it, traveling at an impossible speed, and there was a phenomenal explosion of iridescent green light, and five other girls appeared in front of her. They wore extravagant, brightly colored outfits, and though she could not recognize any of them, they were familiar somehow and seemed friendly._

_Suddenly she felt a pair of arms around her waist, clothed in ruffled white sleeves and dainty white gloves. She turned to see a girl wearing white ribbons in her long, flowing, shockingly pink hair. A pair of glowing pink angelic wings gracefully adorned her back. Her face was blurry, like the others, but she was unearthly beautiful, and Hitomi could see that she was smiling kindly. "It's time for you to join us, Hitomi-chan," she spoke in a voice that was at once one she had never heard before and one that was strangely familiar…_

…

…

…

Slowly, Hitomi woke. She just had the strangest dream, but as she tried to remember, it only slipped further from her grasp. Then she remembered that she needed to get back to class. But when she checked her watch, she could only stare in disbelief. School would be over in less than fifteen minutes… _How did I sleep through the rest of the day…?_

Hitomi sighed heavily. The last thing she needed right now was to be skipping class, if she wanted to keep her grades up. On top of that, she was still as tired as before, as if she hadn't slept at all.

She couldn't go back to class, not now that she had missed most of it. It would be difficult to leave now, too risky to be seen out in her school uniform, since she might be questioned as to why she was not still in school and she would have no valid excuse. Besides, someone was sure to see her from one of the classroom windows, and she would rather not deal with their questions either. So she pulled out her phone and played some games to pass the time.

Soon, she heard other students talking. She checked the time, confirming that the school day was over before gathering her things and joining the crowd. She noticed Madoka and Sayaka, who were talking with Kyoko, Homura, and a blonde girl who wore her hair in ringlets and a touch of light gold lip-gloss. Hitomi had seen her from time to time, and her classmates would talk about her almost as much as they talked about Homura. Mami Tomoe, a senior at Mitakihara Middle School.

She wondered what they were talking about, but shook her head. It was their business, after all, and she was never one to pry into the affairs of others when they did not concern her. She had to get to her lessons on time, anyway.

"Home, sweet home," Kyoko said as she waltzed into Mami's lovely penthouse. Mami chuckled lightly as she slipped off her shoes near the door and set down her bag. "No, it's not," Sayaka retorted as the others followed Mami's example. "You live at my place, remember?"

"Yeah, but you never make cake for me," Kyoko countered, leaning back against the wall with her arms crossed. Sayaka just sweat dropped at the redhead's antics.

"Make yourselves comfortable, everyone," Mami called as she headed for the kitchen. "After all, I won't have you all fighting witches on an empty stomach."

A couple minutes later, they were all seated on plush, ornate cushions around Mami's low glass table. There was peach pie, chocolate cheesecake, and tres leches cake, all served on beautifully garnished plates with black tea.

"You make the best cake, Mami-san!" Madoka said happily as she cleaned off her plate and began to take seconds. Sayaka ate another forkful of pie, giggling at her pinkette friend. "Madoka-chan, you say that every day," she commented with a smile.

"That's 'cause it's true," Kyoko piped up in the middle of her third helping. Homura sipped her tea, nodding in agreement. Mami smiled proudly. "I'm glad you all like it," she said as she finished a slice of cake.

Soon, the five girls had nearly finished all of the desserts, and the teapot was empty. Eating the last of her cheesecake, Homura set down her fork as the golden light of the setting sun bathed the apartment in an amber glow. "So what's the plan for today?"

Mami put her teacup into its saucer with a delicate _clink _before opening her mouth to speak. "Since we mainly covered the industrial district yesterday, I think it would be a good idea to focus on the back alleys and the park. We'll do a sweep of the whole city, too, just to make sure we don't miss anything lurking around."

Madoka nodded. "That sounds good. There have been a lot more witches around lately. I mean, we fought five of them last night!"

Kyoko shrugged, stirring sugar into her tea. "It's not that bad. We'll just take 'em down, same as always. The more grief seeds, the better, you know?"

Homura gazed into her own cup. "That's what worries me. We usually average only about three witches per hunt, and on top of that, they've been getting stronger. Why are the others turning up here, now?" A thoughtful silence descended upon the group.

The others turned to Sayaka as she finished touching up her peach lip-gloss. "Well, whatever's going on, we still need to protect the city," she said confidently. "Maybe if Kyubey comes around, we'll be able to get some more information about it, and if not we'll just do some investigating."

Mami looked around as everyone nodded her assent. "Alright. Let's get to it, then."

The sun had set by the time Hitomi finally began her walk home that evening. Today had been piano, then Japanese dance, and finally tea ceremony. She was exhausted, but her work wasn't done yet. _When I get home, it'll be dinner, then homework, and then studying for exams…_

As she turned to walk through the park, though, she caught sight of a girl huddled in the grass, wearing an elaborate outfit in shades of dark blue and black. Alarmed, she ran over and fell to her knees, putting a hand on the trembling girl's back. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the girl held something small in her left hand. "Are you all right?" she asked hesitantly.

The girl turned to meet her eyes, and Hitomi was taken aback by the raw pain and misery that she saw in those dark blue orbs. "Get out of here," she whispered. "Why do you care, anyways?"

"Because you're in pain," Hitomi answered, her concern growing. What had happened to make this girl so miserable? "Are you hurt? Should I call someone?"

The girl shook her head, her blue-black hair falling over her shoulders as her eyes filled with tears. "It's no use. No one can help me now." She met Hitomi's eyes, her voice urgent. "Please, you have to run away. It's dangerous here…" she trailed off as her fingers uncurled around the object in her hand. Hitomi saw now that it was a crystal orb of some sort, and it would have been pretty if not for the fact that it was pitch black, swirling with a malevolent aura that Hitomi could feel as plainly as she could feel the grass she was sitting on.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hitomi asked softly.

The girl sniffled before drawing a breath. She told a halting story, that she had been approached by a white catlike creature, named Kyubey, when her life took a turn for the worse, and she made a contract with the hope that things would get better. They did, at first, but then as she fought witches and learned the truth about her new life, her emotions began to spiral out of control. Before she knew it, her soul gem, as Hitomi learned the little crystal orb was called, began darkening much faster than she could cleanse it, and now it was too late to cleanse it anymore.

Hitomi's mind was reeling as she tried to understand the girl's fantastic, tragic tale. _Magical girls… contracts… a wish for which the price is one's own soul… magical girls must fight witches, but witches were once magical girls too… _Stunned, she didn't know what to say.

"You have potential," the girl murmured, and Hitomi looked back at her. "Potential?" she asked, confused.

"It's hard to explain… but you do," the girl continued. She winced, gritting her teeth in pain as the aura around her soul gem grew stronger. "I don't have much time left… I can't make the decision for you, but if you do make a contract… please, end it quickly," she pleaded. She cried out in pain, her breathing labored now.

Hitomi looked at the girl sadly. She felt so useless, sitting here, watching the girl slowly undergo an irreversible change that would end her life in the process, unable to help her. One grief seed, she only needed one, but it would be too late by the time she could even figure out where to get one.

The girl smiled at her, one last time. "I'm glad that you were here with me… thank you…"

Before Hitomi could say anything more, a teardrop fell from the girl's face onto her murky soul gem. It crackled with energy, then surged with dark power as strange images danced around it. A powerful shockwave threw Hitomi back, and she cried out as she hit the ground hard. As she looked up, shielding her eyes, she could only stare in fear and awe as the soul gem shattered and grew pointy and black, now generating powerful gusts of wind and energy as the girl fell limply to the ground.

The air shimmered as the strange shapes began to form semi-coherent pictures: the girl's memories, fragments of her former self. With one final burst of dark energy, the shapes folded in on themselves, coalescing into a doorway of sorts with cartoonish music notes and multicolored lights dancing around the border.

Hitomi sat up slowly. If she had any doubts about the story that girl had told her, they were gone now. She became aware of a presence behind her, and she turned to face an odd-looking creature with red eyes and long white ears with gold rings. "Kyubey," she murmured, remembering the girl's description of the Incubator.

"Shizuki Hitomi," Kyubey returned the greeting in an ever-cheerful monotone, nodding its head slightly.

She turned back to gaze at the barrier thoughtfully, not bothering to wonder how Kyubey knew her name. "That girl said that I have potential. Is that true?"

"Yes. You can make a contract with me and become a Puella Magi," Kyubey answered. Her potential felt off somehow, but Kyubey kept that part to itself. It didn't quite understand why, but nonetheless, she did have potential.

"But if I do make a contract… I'll eventually end up like her, right?"

A pause. "That is most likely. She was only a Puella Magi for about a month. There are others who have survived much longer than that."

Hitomi considered this. She didn't want to become a witch, of course, through Kyubey's questionable methods of harvesting energy… but ironically, this was the only way that she could help people, save them from monsters that they could never hope to fight themselves. If she wanted to save the world, this was the risk that she would have to take. She just hoped that she would make the right wish.

She stood, bringing herself to her full height, and turned to look Kyubey directly in the eyes. Kyubey watched her intently. "What is your wish, Shizuki Hitomi?"

Hitomi took a deep breath, gathering her resolve. "I want to be happy. I want to be able to enjoy my life… and be there for my friends when they need me."

Kyubey reached toward her chest with its long ears, and suddenly she felt lightheaded and dizzy, her chest filled with a stinging pain… and then it was over, and a green crystal orb was floating in her hands. _My soul gem, _she realized as she shook off the last of the strange feeling. "Your wish has been granted," it told her.

She nodded. "Now I have a request to fulfill," she said as she looked back at the barrier. Clutching her soul gem tightly, she ran towards it, stopping a few feet away to gaze into the doorway. Squaring her shoulders with determination, she walked in. There was no going back now.

Inside the barrier, Hitomi held out the gem and willed her costume into being. She executed a textbook-perfect pirouette, her arms gracefully outstretched as warm, bright green light encircled her body. She posed, her hair flowing, with one leg crossed in front of the other as if she had just finished a dance routine.

Hitomi now wore a sleeveless sea green Chinese-styled dress, with a short hem and modest side slits that went up to her hips. It was embroidered with a delicate iridescent green floral pattern, and the front was fastened with two green Chinese frog buttons, finished with a bright green bow at her neck. Another bright green ribbon, just wide enough to cover her waist, was tied into a larger bow in the back. She wore long white opera gloves, and white thigh high stockings adorned with sea green bows on the sides. Her knee high boots were sea green with bright green accents. Her hair was styled half-up, tied with a white ribbon, and her soul gem dangled from her right earlobe as a crystal, star-shaped earring.

She looked down, admiring her costume, before remembering that she had work to do. Looking around, it was so dark that she could hardly make out anything, let alone figure out where to go. As she peered into the distance, though, she could see crouched doll-like figures lined up as if to… perform? And there was a stage in the background. Why weren't they attacking her?

And suddenly, everything happened at once. The stage illuminated in a flash of pink and yellow laser lights, revealing an empty auditorium and an electronic banner displaying an illegible set of runes. Loud rock music kicked off, and the dolls began to dance. A monitor above the stage played the girl's memories like a movie. The witch appeared onstage, framed by spirals of music notes, and flung an array of cars and motorcycles at Hitomi. It was like some sort of rock concert from hell.

With no time to summon a weapon, Hitomi could only dodge the projectiles, with barely any time to breathe as she darted out of each vehicle's path in quick succession. The dolls rushed toward her, and she countered their blows with a series of well-placed punches and kicks. She knocked the last one away with a lightning-fast roundhouse, and finally got the chance to materialize her battle-axe. The dolls came at her again, but this time, she was ready. After slicing away another wave of vehicles, she swung her axe out and destroyed all of the dolls in a single sweep.

Not wasting a second, she jumped up and used the next set of cars as platforms, propelling herself closer to the witch with each leap. With a powerful, final leap, Hitomi sprung off of the last car with her axe raised high. The witch flung a semi into her path, but she sliced it away with ease. Propelling herself off of a large piece of debris, she shot forward and swiftly beheaded the witch.

As she landed neatly on her feet, the labyrinth faded away, its bright, cartoonish colors replaced by the cool green grass and trees of the park. Dispelling her axe in a flash of green light, she knelt down to pick up the grief seed in the grass. She stood, looking to the few stars that lit the sky, and closed her eyes. Clutching the grief seed to her chest, she offered a quick prayer for the girl's soul. _I didn't even know her name…_

"Hitomi-chan?"

"Hitomi?!"

Startled, Hitomi turned around. Madoka, Sayaka, Kyoko, Mami, and Homura all stood a few paces behind her, looking back at her with varying degrees of surprise. Oddly enough, Homura looked the most surprised of all. She was even more surprised to see them all dressed up in elaborate, colorful outfits, just like hers.

Madoka was the first to recover. "You look so pretty as a Puella Magi, Hitomi-chan!" she complimented with a cheerful smile. Hitomi, still speechless, gave her a modest smile in thanks.

"Well, this is new," Kyoko commented, munching on some pocky.

"You're all magical girls, too?" Hitomi asked, finally finding her voice. An unnecessary question, really, but this was just so unexpected…

Sayaka flashed her a wink and a thumbs-up. "That's right!"

Mami stepped forward to approach her. "A lot of witches appeared tonight, and our forces were spread thin. That one may have escaped if you hadn't gotten here in time," she told Hitomi with a friendly smile.

"Well, hurry up and purify your soul gem," Kyoko told her as the five of them dismissed their costumes in a flash of multicolored light. Hitomi nodded, belatedly dismissing her own costume, but she paused. "Wait… don't any of you need to purify your gems, too?"

"Nah, we got plenty of grief seeds from tonight's hunt," Sayaka answered. "That one's all yours."

Hitomi obediently touched the two orbs together, perplexed at the mild sense of déjà vu that she felt. As her gem's green glow was restored, she realized that she had seen them as magical girls before… in a dream, maybe? She couldn't quite remember having such a dream, but that was the explanation that made the most sense.

"We have much to discuss," Mami announced. "Would you like to join us for cake, Hitomi-san?"

"Sure," Hitomi answered gratefully. She was curious to learn more about the Puella Magi, and her friends, and some cake sounded really good right about now. As she turned to follow the others out of the park, she looked up at the sky once more, smiling to herself. _Maybe being a Puella Magi isn't so bad, after all._

- end -

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my latest story!

Please review and let me know what you think, or if there's a mistake somewhere :)

By the way, the witch I used here was actually a witch seen in the anime, though I had to make a couple of minor changes. I wonder if anyone knows which one? :P


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